The Latest: NY Regulators Approve Sale Of Nuclear Plant

New York utility regulators have approved the sale of an upstate nuclear power plant, part of the state's strategy of investing in nuclear energy while weaning itself off of fossil fuels.

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The Public Service Commission on Thursday endorsed Entergy Corp.'s proposal to sell FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Oswego County to Exelon Corp. for $110 million. Federal regulators also must approve the transfer.

The state has authorized up to $7.6 billion in ratepayer subsidies to keep FitzPatrick and two other nuclear plants operational. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo says nuclear power is preferable to coal or natural gas as New York transitions to renewable energy.

The owners of other power plants are suing to block the subsidies, which critics of nuclear power say are a costly bailout for a hazardous industry.

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Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that a new company has agreed to take over the Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power plant in Oswego and keep it running. It’s part of the governor’s strategy for 50 percent of the state’s power to come from renewable energy by 2030.

Photos obtained from a whistleblower and published in a Vermont newspaper have renewed calls for stricter oversight of Entergy and its management of the fund dedicated to decommissioning the closed Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor.

As the relicensing process for New York’s Indian Point nuclear power plant crawls forward, federal regulators have issued decisions on contentions raised by the state and an environmental group.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week ruled on appeals involving two contentions in the Indian Point 2 and 3 relicensing process. One appeal was from New York State regarding transformers. NRC Spokesman Neil Sheehan explains.